Jagr, Malhotra, Moore named Masterton finalists

New York, NY (SportsNetwork.com) - New Jersey Devils forward Jaromir Jagr, Carolina Hurricanes forward Manny Malhotra and New York Rangers forward Dominic Moore have been named the finalists for the Bill Masterton Trophy for perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.

The 42-year-old Jagr continues to play at a high level while many of his contemporaries have since retired from the game. Jagr earned team MVP honors this past season after leading the Devils in a host of categories, including assists (43), points (67) and game-winning goals (six).

The Czech has no desire to hang up the skates, as he has signed on to play another season with New Jersey.

Malhotra, 33, thought his career might have been over after he suffered a serious eye injury that required multiple surgeries while playing with the Vancouver Canucks late in the 2010-11 season.

He came back and played the next season, but the Canucks believed it wasn't safe for Malhotra to continue to play with reduced vision as a result of the injury. After playing only nine games for Vancouver in 2012-13, he joined the Hurricanes last October and was proficient in the faceoff circle, ranking second among all NHL players in winning 59.4 percent of his draws and collecting seven goals and six assists in 69 games.

The 33-year-old Moore returned to the league this season following the death of his wife, Katie. Moore had taken a leave of absence in order to care for Katie, who died in January 2013 of a rare form of liver cancer. He established the Katie Moore Foundation, which is dedicated to helping patients and families with rare cancers through research, advocacy and community.

Moore resumed his career with the Rangers after his one-year break and totaled six goals and 12 assists in 73 games.